12/12/2023
Free Tax Assistance at LTBB
As we are approaching tax season, I wanted to share an exciting announcement from the LTBB Department of Commerce. Please see below and attached, and share with those who may be interested. We are excited to bring this service here to LTBB!
The LTBB Department of Commerce (DOC) has connected with the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency (NMCAA) to bring FREE tax preparation assistance to LTBB! We will coordinate with their team of IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistances (VITA) to bring a 1-day service to the LTBB Government Center where we will schedule appointments to have income taxes done for FREE! We are anticipating one day in February 2024 occurring on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to reach our Elders lunch attendees, but additional days may be added depending on level of interest. This service will be provided on a scheduled appointment-basis, rather than walk-in service.
Because our Elders + Resident Tribal Members can be uniquely impacted by tax preparation season, these groups will be prioritized when scheduling appointments. Then it will be opened up to all eligible LTBB Tribal Citizens, and if we continue to have the resources, it will open up to non-Citizen LTBB staff members. While we will originally plan for one day, additional days may be added depending on interest level.
Please let DOC know if you are interested in this free tax service so we can coordinate with NMCAA on scheduling. While this won’t commit you to making an appointment at this time, it will be helpful for us to gauge the level of interest. Comments, messages, emails, or phone calls will be accepted to express an interest! DOC can be reached at 231-242-1584/231-420-2924 or DOC@ltbbodawa-nsn.gov. Once a date is scheduled, we will post another announcement letting Citizens know that appointment-scheduling is opened up.
For some background information on the VITA program: this is an IRS program that offers free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals. VITA operates through partner sites such as the NMCAA. The VITA program has operated for over 50 years. More information can be found on the IRS website at: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers.
For those not interested in participating in an LTBB-scheduled tax day, NMCAA does have other client-directed options to assist with taxes such as: appointments, drop-offs, virtual upload, or free self-prep. You can contact NMCAA directly at 231-347-9070 or visit their website at https://www.nmcaa.net/tax_preparation.asp. We will post additional announcements closer to tax time with their contact information again. Office locations include: Petoskey, Traverse City, Cadillac, Charlevoix, Honor, Benzonia, and Kalkaska. DOC is happy to help get you connected with an NMCAA office. For those not located in these areas, there may still be VITA services near you! VITA programs are available in many other areas, including outside of Michigan. Here is a link where you can search for a VITA provider in your area: https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/.
*Eligible participants in the NMCAA tax program are: individuals or families who make $75,000 a year or less, seniors, persons with disabilities, and those with English as a second language.
Please contact DOC if you are interested in this service!
